Paul Atkins¹, Douglas Luke, PhD², Charlene Caburnay, MPH³, Nneka Ekunno³, and Monica Councilor³. (1) Health Communication Research Lab, St. Louis University School of Public Health, 3545 Lafayette Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63132, 3149774087, atkinspj@slu.edu, (2) School of Public Health, Saint Louis University, 3545 Lafayette Ave., Saint Louis, MO 63104, (3) Health Communication Research Laboratory, Saint Louis University, 3545 Lafayette Ave., Saint Louis, MO 63104

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is the number one killer of Blacks between the ages of 25- 44. In 2000, Blacks made up 12% of the US population but disproportionately make up half of those diagnosed with AIDS. The African-American newspaper is the foundation of most Black communities and serves as an alternative source of information. This study will describe the frequency and nature of HIV/AIDS coverage among Black and mainstream newspapers. We reviewed 65 mainstream and 19 Black newspaper issues from 2 standard metropolitan areas from November 2003 through January 2004. Articles containing specific key words relating to HIV/AIDS such as infectious disease, immunocompromised, sexually transmitted and pandemic were identified and content analyzed. In Black newspapers, 9.2% of all stories were related to HIV/AIDS compared to 5.4% in mainstream newspapers. Black newspapers focused primarily on HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention, and protection, and listed sources for help with the disease. Mainstream papers focused on scientific and technical issues associated with the disease. The Black papers provided a community-based focus towards the disease, giving statistics on age-specific groups within the Black community. Many HIV/AIDS articles in Black papers discussed protection methods such as condoms, and the elimination of intravenous drug use along with local testing locations. These preliminary results will be used to further describe qualitative and quantitative differences in news coverage of HIV/AIDS in Black versus mainstream newspapers, and how Black newspapers can be used as a viable source in the health promotion and disease prevention environment of information about HIV/AIDS.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn how Black newspapers provide an alternative source of information for the African American community, and how they can be used as a viable source in health promotion and disease prevention.
• Determine the frequency and nature of HIV/AIDS coverage in Black and mainstream newspapers.

Keywords: Community-Based Health Care, HIV/AIDS

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.